56 – Take More Than a Sliver For Yourself

11/27/23

Up until a few years ago,
I was never a morning person.

Each day,
I would do my best, I promise – 
I would set an alarm,
put my phone in the bathroom,
and go to bed early.

But I was too easily convinced by my sleepy self
to close my eyes for a few more minutes,
to take another second in the warmth of my bed
before opening myself up to the reality of life around me.
Before I knew it,
I would have five minutes to be out of the house,
and I’d stress scramble sigh my way into my day.

Over the past few years,
though,
I’ve learned the beauty of early mornings.
I like to wake up before the rest of my house
so that I’m the first one downstairs.
The first to open the blinds
so that the light of the sunrise begins to make its way in.
The first to make coffee,
the first to drink in the stillness.

Sometimes I feel it move into my bones.
Feel my body soften, grow heavy.
I think my most honest, most kind thoughts
in those morning hours.

It’s always worth the time.
Worth the missed sleep,
the untouched to-do list
for a sliver of stillness.

So easily,
I forget that it’s always within arm’s reach.
That I can stop myself,
quieten my surroundings.
Slow the rate of my breathing,
soften the intensity of my thoughts.
The problem isn’t with the supply of stillness,
the problem is with my memory.

Today, tomorrow, the day after that…
I hope you remember all that’s available to you.
All that’s available inside of you.
I hope that you remember the bounty of softness,
of stillness around you
and that you take more than a sliver for yourself.

There’s more than enough to go around.

Lightly,
Leah